Aow Leuk Bay is a popular snorkel location in Koh Tao, where there is the opportunity to see Blacktip Reef sharks, and healthy corals.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
1-4 Meters Average Depth
Very Good, To Good visibility
Easy to medium difficulty
No Public Toilets
No showers
No
Boat, moped, or car required
Sea Urchins Present
Jellyfish unlikely
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
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Aow Leuk Bay (Aow Leuk Beach) is a popular snorkel locaiton in Koh Tao, located on the East of the island. The bay offers shallow coral reefs to either side of the beach, and abundant marine life, including healthy corals, parrotfish, butterflyfish, damselfish, and even Blacktip Reef Sharks. The snorkel spot is accessible from the sandy beach, and surrounded by scenic granite boulders and tropical greenery.
Aow Leuk Bay is a popular stop off for snorkel trips around the island, this was our second stop and a short swim to the coral reef. We were on a snorkel trip so there wasn’t an entrance fee, if you go by the beach there is an entrance fee (50–100 THB), but does give the opportunity to combine a chill on the beach and a snorkel.
Snorkel Spot
We snorkelled the righ-hand side of bay looking at the beach, where there were corals at 4-meters depth rising to a metre to the rocky shoreline. The waters were calm and the visibility was good on the day we snorkeled in April. There is a rope section which we didn’t swim into, and stayed to the left.
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Aow Leuk Bay Map
Aow Leuk Bay is located at the South-East of the island of Koh Tao, a short 30-minute ride from Sairee Beach by car or moped.
In the deeper waters of Aow Leuk, there were some very large healthy coral, such as the large Boulder Star coral, which was stunning! There was a diverse coral reef mainly made up of Boulder, Boulder Star, and Brain coral. There was dead corals at the sea bed as shown in the photo below, but one of the more healthy coral reefs in Koh Tao.
Coral Reef
There were many Christmas Tree worms along the boulder coral adding colourful spots to the coral reef. These creatures burrow into the coral and display a colourful tree-shaped feathers. These bright feathers stretch out and catch passing plankton. If you get too close to the worms they retract their feathers and close up back into the coral. These colourful Christmas Tree Worms were often seen in large numbers on the snorkel.
Top Tip:
The Blacktip Reef Sharks were swimming amongst the rocky shoreline closer to the beach. They were shy but also curious, if you stay in the same position they’ll likely swim by. If you make any sudden movements they can speed off!
Sharks, Sharks, and more Blacktip Reef Sharks!
We swum up to the large rocky shoreline on the right hand side of the bay, and this is where we saw Blacktip Reef Sharks! There were curious, but also shy and would swim past you hugging the rocky sea bed. This was a cool experience, and there were about 2-3 when we snorkeled. The water was very clear closer to the shoreline making for a great opportunity to get some cool snaps.
Marine Life
There were other marine life including Parrotfish swimming amongst the coral reef, Damselfish hovering above the coral, and even a Orange Spiked Sea Cucumber, which seems to be common at Koh Tao. The Feather Duster Worms also seem to be prevalent in the Koh Tao waters, and very elegant to see swaying in the current.
Safety Tip:
There are Sea Urchins along the sea floor in shallow water, so do not stand up and wear something to protect your feet such as water shoes or flippers. Be careful not to get too close to the coral and rocks.
Summary
Overall Aow Leuk Bay snorkel spot was very good for a 30-minute snorkel. I think the visibility generally is very good, and an excellent spot to enjoy the snorkelling and the beach and swim with reef sharks.
Tour Guide Options
Most snorkel trips stop off at Aow Leuk Bay, the beach is more secluded. There are snorkel trips that operate from Sairee Beach, we joined a morning tour that stopped off at 5x snorkel spots including Aow Leuk Bay.
Best Snorkel Spot
The best snorkel spot at Aow Leuk Bay was to the right hand side of the bay looking at the beach, slightly out from the rocky shoreline were you could see the sharks, but also the intricate coral reef ecosystem.
Best Time Of Year
If you are visiting Thailand, the dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling is October-May.
Popular Marine Life
Parrotfish
Christmas Tree Worm
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Angelfish
Giant Clam
Black Sea Urchin
Featherduster Worm
Titan Triggerfish
Singular Bannerfish
Rare Marine Life
Blacktip Reef Shark
Coral Reef
Boulder Coral
Branch Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Lettuce Coral
Brain Coral
Boulder Star Coral
Table Coral
Massive Boulder Coral
What We Saw
(Seen on April, 2025)
| Seargent Major Damselfish | Nosestripe Anemonefish |
| Virgate Rabbitfish | Weibel’s Butterlyfish |
| Crown Of Thorn Starfish | Black Eyed Rabbitfish |
| Singular Bannerfish | Bicolor Parrotfish |
| Orange Spike Sea Cucumber | Christmas Tree Worm |
| Feather Duster Worm | Crescent Wrasse |
| Crescent Wrasse | Giant Clam |
| Blue-Green Chromis | Golden Rabbitfish |
| Black Sea Urchin | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Branch Coral |
| Brain Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Massive Boulder Coral | Table Coral |
| Mushroom Coral | Boulder Star Coral |
Frequently Asked Questions
The snorkel spot is a popular stop on most snorkel trips and I saw advertised on the tour guide boards.The beach is accessible by car, or moped, there is a small fee to enter the beach (50-100 Thai Baht).
We went on a 3-hour snorkel trip around the island which included 5x stops and we paid $40 USD each.
We went on the Premium Morning Trip with Oxygen Tours which included 5x snorkel spots.
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
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